SL tour of NZ, Dec 21 - Jan 29

[Dr Cricket]

most of them are drop ins these days in NZ..

Yeah not sure they got the best balance or know how to prepare the best wickets for test yet although not sure why they still haven't figured it out after 15 years.

Nz just have to many draws for my liking now and many of them the batting is been too easy on the last day and too hard on the first few days.

Australian got drop in pitches but they still deteriorate on day 4-5 but nz pitches don't.

[sussexpob]

The only draw at Eden Park in the last 15 years was the England match, which required a miracle and some definite luck to secure. The pitch retained pace and bounce the whole way through, it was still seaming, and tbf you could replay the last day 15 times and NZ would win every time.

The Basin Reserve has had a few draws. Pakistan were 50 runs off in 2011 from winning, but time run out after rain on three days. South Africa drew but needed only 4 wickets in a test with a 100 overs lost to rain.

India have drawn there twice, in 2009 and 2013. Incredibly, India insisted on setting NZ nearly 650 to chase in less than 100 overs having already bowled them out for under 200 in the first dig. They failed to win when New Zealand ended 8 down on the last day, still a remarkable near 350 runs from winning.

Captaincy was an issue in 2013 also. India had NZ 5 wickets down for 94 in the 2nd dig, but then inexplicably with NZ still 150 away from making India bat again, put Jadeja on for 2 sessions bowling over the wicket with 5 guys on the fence, and bowling his pace attack with a 6-3 split field and no slips. McCullum was dropped very early, and also edged early into a vacant slip cordon. After the match, Dhoni's ultra defensive captaincy plan was torn to shreds by the press, quite rightfully so. The pitch was not 700 all out in the second innings pitch, and India would have won by an innings had a slip been in for that edge, or they had taken their chances to catch him when he offered. The only other two draws in the last decade where against Australia (lost first days play completely, NZ followed on and where 48-3 and would have lost by an innings had the extra time been there) and England (New Zealand needed 200 to win, 6 wickets left, could have gone either way had the whole first day not been lost again)

[sussexpob]

I think there are two reasons why teams may struggle there.....

1. Conditions away from the actual pitch - Many teams, especially if your not England, struggle to deal with the often cold, windy conditions. Gary Kirsten made a point in 2009 about touring there, saying that he noticed India lacked endurance in matches that were colder and windy, simply because they werent used to it and it burnt them out quicker. This maybe a reason why teams tail off, energy levels drop, and 2nd innings scores suddenly get piled up. Many test venues outside Auckland (which, apart from rain, produces results, and where Auckland has a noticeably less windy/warmer climate) are much worse to play in.

Having said that, the majority of venues are in high humid, cloudy, high precepitation areas with colder atmospheres.... this should be a swing bowlers wet dream, so regardless of pitch conditions, players should generate enough through the air to pick up wickets.

This leads to....

2. Swinging the ball - Most teams play in drier, warm conditions, and develop bowlers to cope with pitches as such. You notice that many teams playing in New Zealand bowl too short, attempt to bang the ball in to rough it up, and generate reverse swing. There is a huge error in this tactic, because two of the biggest factors in generating swing of this type is...

(a) The outlying uncovered pitches, that tend to be drier and abrasive.... they dont exist in New Zealand, they play on drop ins so either side of the pitch square is lush outfield. (b) Outfields - Tend to be well watered, soft and lush. They simply dont rough the ball up.

Any team that attempts to produce reverse swing ends up struggling in New Zealand, because the conditions do not guarantee you can generate swing at all.

Andy Flower actually put the lack of England's ability to bowl natural swing, and their tactic of trying to make the ball reverse, as the main reason England could not get into the NZ batting line up.

For this reason, you will find that NZ is a unique place to bowl, and most teams will not have the experience or quality to exploit the conditions, regardless of the pitch type.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I don't have any feelings about drawn matches in NZ apart from pitches should deteriorate, not just get flatter. Which hasn't happened in this game. But surely you can look at any Test and say that if things had happened slightly differently, the outcome might have been different? In this case, not been a draw.

[Dr Cricket]

Good post sussexpob

[Aidan11]

NZ have 3 of the 5 highest 6th wicket stands in tests and all of them have been in this decade.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Nightwatcher out. Are SL thinking of a draw here, or are they considering the Warne paradox?

[Aidan11]

Doesn't seem to be any urgency. Can't see SL holding on.

[Aidan11]

Wow he's gone.

[Aidan11]

That's probably the moment NZ win this test.

[Arthur Crabtree]

SL could save this, but they'll lose it trying to win.

[Aidan11]

They need to score at more than 4 an over now.

Can't see that happening but on these type of surfaces it's worth giving it a go. Nothing to lose now. Except the test of course.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Well, it's an ODI.

[Aidan11]

But played under test match conditions.

England v Zimbabwe all over again.


Bumble screaming "We murdered 'em".

[Arthur Crabtree]

Butt the lack of restrictions is offset by extra overs.